Carvalho-Pereira Ticiana, Pedra Gabriel G, de Oliveira Daiana S, Souza Fábio N, Zeppelini Caio G, Santos Luana R N, Couto Ricardo D, Bahiense Thiago C, da Silva Eduardo M, Begon Michael, Reis Mitermayer Galvão, Ko Albert I, Childs James E, Costa Federico
Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 22;15(1):26518. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09887-y.
Host condition is key in understanding disease dynamics. In this study, we investigated the relationship between infection with Leptospira interrogans and helminths, and the hematological and hormone-biochemical stress-related profiles of urban Rattus norvegicus. Rat kidney imprints and urine were used to identify and quantify L. interrogans, while fecal samples were analyzed for helminth eggs and corticosterone metabolites. Blood samples were taken for complete blood counts and specific biochemicals in rats' sera. Principal Component Analyses were conducted to group rats according to health profiles. A total of 120 rats were captured, and hematological and hormone-biochemical data were obtained from 95 and 61 rats, respectively. Hematological PCA revealed distinct rat groups: typical (T), eosinophil-deficient (Eos-D), eosinophil- and monocyte-deficient (EM-D) and monocyte deficient with high immature neutrophils (Mon-D). No significant association was found between L. interrogans or helminth infections and health profiles, except for Trichiuridae helminths, which had significantly higher mean intensity in the pooled deficient groups compared to the T-group. The poorest condition group was found in areas with fewer rat burrows than the T-group, indicating EM-D had a reduced ability to occupy higher-quality habitats. These findings suggest that hematological profiles may reflect host's overall condition, instead of responses to specific infections.
宿主状况是理解疾病动态的关键。在本研究中，我们调查了问号钩端螺旋体感染与蠕虫感染之间的关系，以及城市褐家鼠的血液学和激素 - 生化应激相关特征。用大鼠肾脏印记和尿液来鉴定和定量问号钩端螺旋体，同时分析粪便样本中的蠕虫卵和皮质酮代谢物。采集血液样本进行大鼠血清全血细胞计数和特定生化指标检测。进行主成分分析以根据健康状况对大鼠进行分组。共捕获120只大鼠，分别从95只和61只大鼠中获得血液学和激素 - 生化数据。血液学主成分分析揭示了不同的大鼠组：典型组（T）、嗜酸性粒细胞缺乏组（Eos - D）、嗜酸性粒细胞和单核细胞缺乏组（EM - D）以及单核细胞缺乏且未成熟中性粒细胞高的组（Mon - D）。除了毛首鞭形线虫外，未发现问号钩端螺旋体或蠕虫感染与健康状况之间存在显著关联，与T组相比，合并的缺乏组中毛首鞭形线虫的平均感染强度显著更高。在鼠洞比T组少的区域发现了状况最差的组，这表明EM - D组占据高质量栖息地的能力降低。这些发现表明血液学特征可能反映宿主的整体状况，而非对特定感染的反应。
